[blam]

This article seems to be less immediate and less desperate than many of his previous articles.

I think I'm seeing similar from other writers too.

They seem to be toning down the severity and suddeness of a collapse and have begun talking about 'years' into the future. (But, not all)

I'm beginning to wonder if I've prepped to soon and too much. I have some boxes of supplies with an early 2009 date on them.

Am I being swayed by election year propaganda? (Happy days are here again)

Albeit, I still think we're headed for a collapse of some sort...I just don't know when.

[familyop]

"But without a doubt, society is starting to come apart at the seams and I do expect rioting and major civil unrest in our major cities at some point in the future."

I'm trying to imagine formerly federally funded local government employees and pensioners rioting after a bond collapse and repudiation of debt (bond and income "haircuts," whatever). More of them than usual have already begun committing mob style crimes within the system. Maybe after an economic bust, they'll resort to more direct and traditional criminal activities.

As for the more impoverished rabble, though, many of them have been poor for a long time and are learning more about getting by. Maybe some of those in heavily populated urban areas will riot sporadically.

I doubt that all of the cities, including suburbs, would light up at once, although history shows that riots happen. Most Americans wouldn't have any direct experience with it, IMO, but would be watching news about it on television. Granted, some of our friends here live very near urban areas with high crime rates and see the matter more personally.

My prediction is that many of us will simply get much more poor and learn a lot about frugality and work. And fuel prices will continue high (so not much roving activity by large, pillaging gangs as predicted by some).

We'll see.

[familyop]

"I'm beginning to wonder if I've prepped to soon and too much. I have some boxes of supplies with an early 2009 date on them."

Maybe give some of the older stuff to a charity (food bank, neighbor or something) and add new stuff to your storage? Only a suggestion.

[Dutch Boy]

For some time now I have wondered about the real value of gold it things really collapse. If there is no economy and little prospect of one coming along soon, I would assume that gold would be valued at next to nothing. What would the purpose of gold be under those conditions? I would think bartering items like clean water and systems to make it clean, food, seeds and related items, guns and ammo, tools, first aid supplies, alcohol, gasoline and other items wold be valued much more.

[Kartographer]

Preppers’ PING!!

[onona]

Eat It, Just Eat It !

Sewiously, put this in to your regularly scheduled program and replace anew. Inventory Management: First In, First Out.

[JRandomFreeper]

because you don't want water sitting around indefinitely.

Why not? It's all about 4.5 Billion years old here on Terra.

Water doesn't go bad. It can go flat, as it outgasses entrapped gas, but pouring it between two containers a few times fixes the flat taste.

Water doesn't go bad.

/johnny

[Vendome]

Without getting into the details of expiration dates(real and synthetic) the important thing is “You prepped and are preppared as you going to be today”.

Importantly, is your mindset, what you have at your disopsal to get you through whatever and you will be more at ease than those who “Never thought it could happen”.

You are preppared and should be relaxed, as you have done what you could.

[Secret Agent Man]

A question that should be asked is what to do when the government is considering you as their own personal Walmart? Government may be worse than regular looters and thieves.

[ExSES]

Ping...

[SkyPilot]

Maybe they should be asked if they believe in God? What are we supposed to do? Sit around, and wait for the opportunity to shoot people as "preppers." Maybe prayers to Jesus Christ would be superior to this lunacy that we can "survive" the coming evil. We can endure it, we won't survive it.

Read the Bible.

[Marcella]

“I have some boxes of supplies with an early 2009 date on them.”

I keep grocery store food stored each year in case of a hurricane but I didn’t invest in grocery food to last for the long term. I have bought more grocery store food this year because I think we are approaching dangerous times fairly soon. But that still isn’t my main store of food.

For the long term, I have stored food that is vaccum sealed without oxygen by a professional company and it’s good for 20-25 years. I planned that food by type and how often it would be eaten and did my tables to know how much for a year for the number of people I would have.

I will have good water as I planned a way for that, too. Security is also in place.

I’ve always been an organizer and gone by a plan for most everything I have done in my life. Now, I am ancient, but having all that experience, I knew how to plan for short and long term emergencies, and did it. Everyone can do something to make their life easier if hard times come. It takes some thought as to what is needed, and then action to get it done.

[Sarajevo]

I have some boxes of supplies with an early 2009 date on them.

Well, pop open a couple and try them out.

When I went through medical training in the Army, I was told that very few things actually expire on the date given. The main reason for the date was to promote the rotation of the stocks, and in the case of medications, to ensure the consumer buys new meds to keep the producer in business. This is really true when it comes to many common and inexpensive meds. Obviously, tetracyclines and acetaminophen do need to be rotated prior to the expiration date.

As an example, during GW1, we were issued morphine syrettes dated 1945, and penicillin from the Vietnam era.

[RetiredTexasVet]

I think that once the collapse starts. it will accelerate at blazing speed and will feed upon itself. The financial world is at the very limit of propping everyone and every country up. Natural disasters and other factor will trigger the final collapse. Take all the little things and add them up. We are in a severe drought but we are using corn to make ethanol which means there will be no extra corn for emergencies which will also mean that the price of corn products will go up and all things dependent upon corn will go up. People are being located in big cities which are totally dependent and vulnerable for food, water, power, sewage, etc. Millions are collectively vulnerable to simple disruptions to any of the necessities.

[The Duke]

I'm beginning to wonder if I've prepped to soon and too much. I have some boxes of supplies with an early 2009 date on them.

Well, we should all be rotating through our perishables so that expiration isn't so much of an issue. (I've got a gargantuan jar of peanut butter that I'm going to have to start using this week).

Also, the moment I started prepping was the moment my life made a dramatic positive turn in many ways. I would not have wanted to delay that change in myself even for a moment. Before I became a prepper I had the average '2.5 friends' - now I can't count how many very fine people I've developed wonderful relationships with (one of them just sent me an excellent machete and Ka-Bar combat knife as a gift!)

The day I started prepping (almost 4 years ago) I could only swim 7 laps in my neighborhood pool ... now I'm up to 70 laps.

If I could go back in time I would have started prepping thirty years ago.

With all that said I will agree that I've heard many writers starting to tone down on the sense of urgency. However, for those who don't think this nation could catch on fire in an instant I have but two words ... "Trayvon Martin".

[bgill]

there is actually one family that produces 6000 pounds of produce every year on just 1/10th of an acre right in the middle of Pasadena, California.

Yeah, that's always the fall back. Woohoo, 6000 lbs of produce from "just" a 4356 sq ft garden. Just? Who has that much land for a garden? That's about what many have for their entire lot but some of us would like to include a house and a driveway on that lot and maybe plant some trees to help with the electric bill. My little backyard garden stuggles every summer with 100+ degree temperatures, droughts and bugs. Bully for them and their piece of Eden but that's not reality for many.

I'm beginning to wonder if I've prepped to soon and too much.

You may be right. Tell you what, no worries, just ship some of that excess my way since you've over done it.

[editor-surveyor]

When?

Spring/summer 2013 is the most commonly predicted time.

[WhirlwindAttack]

Stock what you eat. Eat what you stock and put it in rotation.
Get a pressure canner, jars and lots of lids. Be prepared to not have refrigeration or a freezer.

A good dehydratior like a American Harvest Garden Master will come in handy. So will a vacuum sealer.

Get a good water filter (Berky recommended), some calcium hypoclorite to treat water. We just put solar backup in for our well.

Heirloom garden seeds, gardening handtools even some chickens will help keep you fed. A hog or three even more so.
I smoke my own hams and bacon.

Look for stuff on craigslist or freecycle or your local flea markets.

We have reduced our food bills and prepped using these methods. If we go dark the only thing I will miss is ice cubes and internet.

The most important thing is “Don’t panic!”.

And don’t forget spices and herb seeds.

[ex-Texan]

Forget the writer's temporary fretting about a weak market and stumbling economy. The corrupt central bank game of manipulating currencies and rigging stock markets and playing with peoples' lives is almost over for good.

Stock Futures Slip as European Central Bank Hopes Give Way to Angst

I for one would like meet the weenies who keep editing Reuters titles after the articles have been published. They keep softening the prose to edit away any perception of truth by the masses. They removed the term "angst" from the title today and went for a more bland and "flat" presentation. And thereby masked the truth. Freaking commie bastards always play with peoples' perceptions . . .

Keeping the Useless Eaters Happy and Well Media Fed . . .

[Any Fate But Submission]

When starving mobs are at your front door, the most important thing is to be able to stay completely out of sight. They won’t rape, torture and kill you and yours if they do not know you are there.

The best is a fully serviced undetectable basement under a house painted inside and out with fire proof paint. No windows, interior stair access well hidden, unlimited water and a year of food per person. Hide solar panels on a flat patio cover; that can run your well pump and lights inside. Bury a 500 gallon propane tank for cooking and a 1000 gal fuel oil tank for heat. 5mil mylar with O2 absorber keeps rice 25 years. Canned good still good for many many years if not dented. Expiration date is arbitrary and has nothing to do with safety or nutritional value. Every food item is required to have an expiration date by law, so they put a short one so you will throw it away and buy more.

Buy some land within 50 miles of where you live and prepare to live for 6 months or more completely out of sight, but have the firepower to protect yourself if discovered. Starving mobs and the US Government are your worst enemies.

[knarf]

At the heart of the Prepper's psychology is an inate sense of how things were, are and could/will be ...

I was an avid fan of this program and it should be brought back ... the entire series is linkable from the end of the previous episode